New research from the University of Washington and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory links the brightness of clouds in the sky to airbone gasses produced by plankton all the way down on the ocean floor. Read about their research published in Science Advances on EurekAlert!.

Video: Gas hydrates found in Arctic continental shelf sediments behave like ice with a very notable exception: they burn! Check out a video of CAGE researchers demonstrating here!

Public Release: 3-Jun-2015Spotlight on marine litter
The current state of research and of research gaps concerning litter in our oceans is presented in the new open-access book 'Marine Anthropogenic Litter,' published by Springer. Estimates of the amount of litter in the world's oceans, its distribution, effects on humans and biota, and prevention strategies are just some of the topics addressed in the book. Experts from around the globe have contributed their knowledge to this book.

Public Release: 3-Jun-2015 PLOS ONETrouble in the tide pools
A harmful algal bloom is the suspected culprit of a die-off in 2011 of millions of purple sea urchins and six-starred sea stars in Northern California. Their disappearance is predicted to have long-term ecological consequences on their populations. As algal blooms are expected to increase with climate change and ocean acidification, similar mass mortality events are expected to increase.
National Science Foundation

Public Release: 3-Jun-2015 PLOS ONEFrogs face virus risk in garden ponds
Pond owners are being urged not to use garden chemicals, or to release goldfish into ponds, because of the risk they could pose to wild frogs.
Researchers from the University of Exeter found that the severity of ranavirosis, a devastating disease that kills thousands of frogs each year, increases in the presence of exotic fish. The use of garden chemicals was also associated with increased severity of the disease.

Public Release: 3-Jun-2015 Journal of Experimental BiologyPregnant pipefish fathers are not super dads
Few fathers experience pregnancy, but pipefish dads are one exception and it was assumed that they gave their young a head start in life by providing an abundant oxygen supply. However, it now turns out that this assumption is not true: they supply much less oxygen than thought, and when oxygen is scarce the fathers pay the price -- losing weight and condition -- for their young.
Fundaça?o para a Ciência e Tecnologia-Portugal, Fundo Social Europeu, Helge Ax:son Johnsons Stiftelse, Wilhelm och Martina Lundgrens Vetenskapsfond, Inez Johansson's Foundation, Royal Swedish Academy

Public Release: 2-Jun-2015 PLOS ONEHow a box jellyfish catches fish
The first feeding study of tropical Australia's Irukandji box jellyfish has found that they actively fish. They attract larval fish by twitching their extended tentacles, highlighting their nematocyst clusters (stinging structures) and using them as lures.
It's an impressive feat by any standards, but particularly so for an animal that doesn't have a defined brain.
Australian Lions Foundation

Public Release: 2-Jun-2015MBARI researchers discover deepest high-temperature hydrothermal vents in Pacific Ocean
In spring 2015, MBARI researchers discovered a large, previously unknown field of hydrothermal vents in the Gulf of California, about 150 kilometers (100 miles) east of La Paz, Mexico. Lying more than 3,800 meters (12,500 feet) below the surface, the Pescadero Basin vents are the deepest high-temperature hydrothermal vents ever observed in or around the Pacific Ocean.
David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Public Release: 2-Jun-2015 EcologyGreat Barrier Reef marine reserves combat coral disease
A new and significant role for marine reserves on the Great Barrier Reef has been revealed, with researchers finding the reserves reduce the prevalence of coral diseases.
It's been known for some time that marine reserves are important for maintaining and enhancing fish stocks, but this is the first time marine reserves have been shown to enhance coral health on the Great Barrier Reef.
Australian Research Council

Public Release: 2-Jun-2015 Trends in Ecology and EvolutionMany endangered species are back -- but face new struggles
A study of marine mammals finds that several once endangered species, including the humpback whale, the northern elephant seal and green sea turtles, have recovered and are repopulating their former ranges. But returning species create a new challenge: some people interpret the return of these animals as a hostile invasion. The study presents strategies for 'lifting baselines' to help manage and celebrate recovering species.